Straight from the 'Straight Talk Express'

As his Joe the Plumber Keep Your Wealth Tour rolled down the I-4 corridor from Daytona Beach toward a 6 p.m. rally in Sarasota, Sen. John McCain took a little time to chat with Buzz and a few fellow Florida reporters in the wood-paneled cabin of the Straight Talk Express.

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Although a new Quinnipiac Poll shows him down 5 points among those who already have voted in Florida, McCain and his traveling companions -– Gov. Charlie Crist and U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez -– were buoyed by a recent Mason-Dixon poll showing him up by 2.

"A lot of it's going to depend on voter turnout. We've got to campaign hard here, and we all know it's a battleground state," McCain said.

Having just left a boisterous rally of more than 1,000 in Ormond Beach, McCain added, "We have energized volunteers. We'll get our vote out. We'll get it out. ... I'm confident that people are energized in this race, and I expect that energy will translate into" a win in Florida.

McCain and his pals are stopping at small businesses along the way. He visited a periodontal clinic in Altamonte Springs and had lunch at Mi Viejo San Juan, a Puerto Rican restaurant in Orlando.

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For Florida political news today, the Buzz is your can't-miss-it source. Tampa Bay Times writers offer the latest in Florida politics, the Florida Legislature and the Rick Scott administration. Keep in mind: This is a public forum sponsored and maintained by the Tampa Bay Times. When you post comments here, what you say becomes public and could appear in the newspaper. You are not engaging in private communication with candidates or Times staffers.